Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose investigate the theft of a great deal of money from the belly of a nearly life-size Tyrannosaurus Rex model that their friend, Jud Wheat, is using to raise money for a dinosaur museum.
When Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose visit a dude ranch in Montana, they find themselves with another mystery to solve, this one involving the theft of money from the ranch's safe and of a large gold nugget that Josh had found.
When Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose visit Washington, D.C., just before Christmas, they are inadvertently caught up in a kidnapping plot that was intended for the president's dog, but also involves the president's stepdaughter and her friend Marshall.
When Miss Chinatown and the crown go missing from San Fransisco's Chinatown Parade, Holden--Lily, Miss Chinatown's boyfriend--is accused of the crime. It will take Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose's best detective skills to clear their friend's name.